A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the classified USSF-432 payload into orbit for the U.S. Space Force on the evening of November 6, lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 7:48 p.m. EST.
Following separation, the rocket’s first-stage booster, designated 1095, successfully executed its eighth flight and touched down on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” stationed in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX ended its live broadcast roughly ten minutes into the flight shortly after the booster landing, keeping details about the upper stage and its primary cargo private.
Government officials have disclosed few specifics regarding the USSF-432 mission. However, NextSpaceflight.com indicated the trajectory and stage drop zones matched previous Starlink Group 15 flights, pointing to a potential batch of low Earth orbit spacecraft built for the Space Force’s Space Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio utilizing SpaceX’s defense-focused Starshield platform.
The operation represents SpaceX’s 125th overall launch of 2026 and its 119th Falcon 9 mission, 14 of which were flown for national security purposes. Beyond Falcon 9—which has seen more than 70% of its flights this year dedicated to building out the Starlink constellation of over 11,000 active satellites—SpaceX has conducted three Falcon Heavy missions and three Starship test flights throughout the year.
Source: space.com
